Touted as Asian-fusion, I would actually say it’s just damn creative. Apart from all the typical bennies, they also offer their own homemade coffee-crusted pork belly benedict and a braised short rib benedict. They have a chicken karaage hash, fried chicken omelette and a number of sweet options including zucchini cheddar sourdough waffle. Now in their sixth year, they are one of the tastiest brunch spots in town.

They have nailed consistency, offering the same level of quality regardless if you are there for breakfast, lunch or dinner. With friendly service and decent prices, they are frequently busy.  This is a spot you might drive past without a second thought, but locals know the secret that explains the line outside their door. As someone who’s been getting takeout from them weekly during Covid, I am hooked.

With an inspired list of tapas and daily specials, there is no shortage of shareable dishes that span from small plates right up to main entrees such as their daily paella. In addition, they have an impressive charcuterie with a number of imported Spanish hams as well as a decent cheese list. This is the type of restaurant you camp out at for an evening, noshing on half a dozen items while sitting at one of their small tables, or perched at the bar. It has the kind of feel that makes you never want to leave… and maybe that’s the point.

They are known for their brunch which is what attracts people to locate this eatery which is well-hidden. It’s as casual as they come with counter service, bare-bones furniture and plastic-wrapped tables.

Their menu looks standard with a lot of egg and pancake dishes that don’t stand out from other menus across the city. Where they differ is in the portion sizes and quality of the food that comes streaming out of their fast-paced kitchen. The dish I always order is Al’s Breakfast which consists of 2 eggs, bacon and 2 pancakes which was enough food for two large meals.

The blueberry pancakes were fluffy with a slight cake-like texture. The eggs were perfectly cooked and the bacon was some of best I’ve ever had! Not the typical stringy stuff, this was lean and chewy with crispy edges and a rich flavour. This cost less than $20 with tax and tip. To say they offer good value is a colossal understatement.

Homer Street Café feels like it’s been around forever, but shockingly it’s only in its 9th year. It already feels like a Vancouver landmark. Everything about this restaurant is appealing. The rooms are beautiful. Housed in two historic buildings, each of the dining rooms has a different ambience to it. One feels more elegant while the other looks like a French brasserie with a black and white floor.

Their dinners are well known and they nail brunch as well, with some creative, savoury dishes that push past the traditional items you can find everywhere else in the city. The service is proficient and friendly, the room is comfy and the food is scrumptious. No wonder I keep thinking it’s a local classic.

The aim of Ophelia is to bring authentic, elevated Mexican food that differentiates it from the standard Tex-Mex fare you get elsewhere. The menu is a marriage of Chef Higareda’s family recipes and his fine-dining techniques, filling a void in Vancouver’s culinary landscape.

The room has a lot of atmosphere and they’ve done a fantastic job with the hand-painted mural. It has a lot of character that makes it hard to believe it’s a new establishment that daringly opened during Covid.

The room is open and airy, with an Ikea-influenced look about it which seems slightly odd for a highly rated Italian restaurant. But it works. And to be honest, you’re there for the food and it steals the show.

Dining alla familia involves a chat with the server about the table’s likes and dislikes and then you sit back and wait for the parade of dishes that will slowly make their way from the open kitchen to your table. The smells that fill the airy space whet your appetite and the flavours deliver on that promise. Family style dining costs around $80 per person and you will leave feeling it was money well spent. This is a restaurant for special occassions, for group dining, for date night, or for a solo dinner at the bar. Basically any excuse will do.

Sean Reeve is the chef but I don’t think that word does him justice. Food artist. Culinary genius. Ingredient magician. He sees combinations and ways of preparing food that others haven’t thought of. And as such the menu is a constant 12 items displayed on a chalk board which change with the seasons. And there’s really only one way to experience them; you go as a group of 4 and order the I Want It All menu. You systematically work through the menu from start to finish and experience the delicate flavour profiles, artistic plating and the continuity from one dish to the next. Each one stands on its own, but together they create a perfect meal. It’s hard to put a price on that sort of experience, but $68 feels like a bargain. I’ve been 10+ times now, but my first visit was the moment I realized my stomach could smile.

Zabu sits on Robson street amongst a sea of other Korean restaurants, many of which are fancier and more renown. And each time I pass by all of them and head back to Zabu for their tasty, succulent, fried chicken. I order mine with a sweet soy glaze that’s delicately flavoured and leaves a hint of sweetness on your lips. Fried chicken is my weakness and when I get a craving – which is more often than I am comfortable confessing to – Zabu is where I go.

In pre-Covid times it was full of Korean students which is always a good sign. The staff struggle with their broken English and the ambience makes you feel like you are in another land. It’s perfect and you can eat your fill of chicken, have a glass of wine, leave a tip and still spend under $30.